1. Field
The present teachings generally relate to methods, software and apparatus useful for signal processing and, in various embodiments, to a system and method for resolving signals generated by a charge coupled device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many photo-detectors such as charge coupled devices (CCD) are designed to detect light emissions and produce signals that can be resolved to quantify observed light intensity. Generally, conventional CCD's comprise one or more light-detecting elements that may be sensitive enough to detect as little as a few photo electrons. It is often desirable for a CCD device to possess a dynamic range of detection that extends several orders of magnitude with respect to the number of detectable photo electrons. Conventional solutions to increasing the dynamic range may include increasing the number of bits of analog-to-digital converters (ADC) associated with the CCD. This increase in the number of bits, however, also increases the cost of manufacture and processing time of the CCD. Another method for extending the dynamic range may involve splitting of the signal from a selected element into multiple signals that are hardware resolved. Each signal may further be provided with a different gain to thereby allow the split signals to collectively cover a wider dynamic range than that of a single signal. Such a hardware adaptation for dynamic range enhancement often requires costly retrofitting of the instrument and may not be practical to implement with existing devices. From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that there is a need for an alternative method by which the dynamic range of a CCD or other photo-detector device may be improved. Furthermore, there is a need for a dynamic range extension methodology that may be adapted for use with existing systems without necessitating significant hardware modifications.